Offshore cargo rack for use in transferring palletized loads between a marine vessel and an offshore platform

Abstract

A cargo rack for transferring loads between a marine vessel and an offshore marine platform (for example, oil and gas well drilling or production platform) provides a frame having a base, a front, a rear, upper and lower end portions and side walls. The lower end of the frame has a floor. Openings in the base align with forklift tine tubes or sockets. The frame includes a pair of fixed side walls extending upwardly from the base that include at least left and right side walls. A plurality of gates are movably mounted on the frame including a gate at least at the front and at least at the rear of the frame, each gate being movable between open and closed positions. The gates enable a forklift to place loads on the floor by accessing either the front of the frame or the rear of the frame. Each gate can be pivotally attached to a corner column.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A cargo rack comprising:
 a) a frame having a base, a front, a rear, and upper and lower end portions; 
 b) the base of the frame having a perimeter and a floor providing multiple load holding positions, each configured to hold a load module; 
 c) a plurality of load modules that are supported with the frame during use; 
 d) the frame including a plurality of side walls that attach to and extend upwardly from a perimeter beam base and including at least left and right side walls, first and second frame ends, the frame having four corners with a corner column at each corner; 
 e) each side wall having at least one intermediate column positioned in between two of said corner columns; 
 f) an upper end portion of each side wall having an upper horizontal beam that connects the upper end of each corner column to each intermediate column; 
 g) a plurality of gates that are movably mounted to the frame, each gate being movably attached to one of said side walls between open and closed positions, each gate spanning across a said end in a horizontal direction from one of said corner columns to another one of said corner columns; 
 h) multiple reinforcements that connect each intermediate column to ones of said corner columns on the side walls, including reinforcing beams that extend between one said corner column and one said intermediate column at a position in between the base and one said upper horizontal beam; 
 i) said reinforcements including a diagonally extending beam that extends from the top of a one of said corner columns downwardly to a position next to the lower end of a one of said intermediate columns; 
 j) a plate that connects the lower end of a said diagonal beam to both the base and a said respective intermediate column; and 
 k) wherein the gates enable a module to be removed laterally with a fork lift when a selected said gate is in the open position and without removing another module. 
 
     
     
       2. The cargo rack of  claim 1  wherein there are two load holding positions. 
     
     
       3. The cargo rack of  claim 1  further comprising a laterally extending beam on each side wall that extends from one of said corner columns to one of said diagonally extending beams. 
     
     
       4. The cargo rack of  claim 1  wherein there is a plate opening. 
     
     
       5. The cargo rack of  claim 1  further comprising a pair of tanks, one on each load holding position. 
     
     
       6. The cargo rack of  claim 1  further comprising a dividing beam that one load holding position separates from another. 
     
     
       7. A cargo rack comprising:
 a) a frame having a base with a base perimeter that includes a plurality of beams, a front, a rear, upper and lower end portions, the frame holding at least a pair of load modules; 
 b) the frame including a plurality of side walls and end walls extending upwardly from the base at the base perimeter and including at least left and right side walls, four corners that each provide a corner column and each side wall including an intermediate column spaced in between two of said corner columns; 
 c) an upper portion of each side wall having an upper horizontal beam that connects the upper end of a respective one of the corner columns to a respective one of the intermediate columns; 
 d) the end walls being gates that are movably mounted to the frame, each gate being movable between open and closed positions, each gate extending between two of said corner columns; 
 e) multiple reinforcements that connect each intermediate column to ones of said corner columns on said side walls, including reinforcing beams that extend both horizontally and diagonally between one of said corner columns and one of said intermediate columns at a position in between the base and one said upper horizontal beam; 
 f) a plate that connects the lower end of a said diagonal beam to both the base and a said respective intermediate column; and 
 g) wherein the gates enable any one of the load modules to be removed laterally with a fork lift when a selected said gate is in the open position and without removing any other module. 
 
     
     
       8. The cargo rack of  claim 7  wherein the rack includes two load holding positions. 
     
     
       9. The cargo rack of  claim 7  wherein there is one of said gates at each end of the frame. 
     
     
       10. The cargo rack of  claim 7  wherein there are multiple diagonally extending beams that intersect multiple horizontally extending beams. 
     
     
       11. The cargo rack of  claim 7  wherein a floor attaches to the perimeter beams. 
     
     
       12. The cargo rack of  claim 11  wherein the floor attaches to an upper end portion of at least one of the perimeter beams. 
     
     
       13. The cargo rack of  claim 7  further comprising a vertical support next to each corner column that is mounted to the base and that connects at intervals to the said corner column. 
     
     
       14. The cargo rack of  claim 13  wherein there are multiple hinge mounts that attach to both a said corner column and a said vertical support. 
     
     
       15. A cargo rack comprising:
 a) a frame having a base with a floor, a front, a rear, upper and lower end portions; 
 b) a plurality of load modules that are supported within the frame and upon the floor during use; 
 c) the frame including a plurality of side walls extending upwardly from the base including at least left and right side walls, the frame having four corners, a corner column at each corner and at least one intermediate column connected to the base and positioned in between two of said corner columns; 
 d) an upper end portion of each side wall having an upper horizontal beam that connects the upper end of each corner column to each intermediate column; 
 e) a plurality of gates that are movably mounted on the frame at a said frame end portion, each gate being movable between open and closed positions, the gates enabling the load modules to be loaded laterally to the floor when a said gate is opened; 
 f) multiple reinforcements that connect each intermediate column to ones of said corner columns on ones of said side walls, including reinforcing beams that extend between a said corner column and one said intermediate column at a position in between the base and one said upper horizontal beam and multiple diagonal beams that each connect to a said reinforcing beam and to a said column; 
 g) the floor having a plurality of load holding positions; 
 h) wherein the gates enable any one of the modules to be removed laterally with a fork lift when a said gate is opened; and 
 i) wherein in item “h” no other module is moved. 
 
     
     
       16. The cargo rack of  claim 15  wherein each corner column is supported by a vertical support attached to the floor. 
     
     
       17. The cargo rack of  claim 16  wherein the vertical support attaches to the respective corner column at intervals. 
     
     
       18. The cargo rack of  claim 15  wherein one of said intermediate columns is connected to one of said diagonal beams with a plate. 
     
     
       19. The cargo rack of  claim 18  wherein the plate has horizontal and vertical components. 
     
     
       20. The cargo rack of  claim 15  further comprising one or more transverse beams that connect the intermediate columns.